Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone! Lately I've noticed the downward facing cross on clothes and it concerned me tremendously. I didn't know the meaning, so I did my research. I want to tell you to do the same before you begin wearing this apparel. Please be mindful of what your clothes are representing and if you're not sure take a quick second to do the research.

F.I.T. Tip: As a child, the night before Easter my Mother and I would make sugar eggs. I loved making these every year. We would fill them with the Easter grass and the chocolates we made. I never had an Easter basket and always thought making the sugar egg molds was so exclusive and chic.  Hindsight now tells me my Mother saved megabucks but never allowed me to feel as we couldn't afford an Easter basket. She was awesome at psyching my mind. Lol!
So if there is someone stressed that they can not buy their child an Easter basket today, here's a craft recipe that your child/children will enjoy doing. And psych their mind like FLO(my Mom) did me...honey you couldn't tell me sugar egg molds wasn't the thing to do.

1 plastic egg mold ( your local craft shop or use the egg from the Reese's Easter egg candy)
1 egg white
food coloring
3.5 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Whisk the egg white until it starts to be frothy. If you would like to color your egg, add food coloring to the egg white and mix well. Note that you will be adding a lot of sugar to the egg white, so it’s a good idea to dye the white a darker color than your desired final product.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated and powdered sugars so they’re evenly mixed. Pour the egg white into the sugars and begin stirring. At first it will seem like there’s not enough liquid, but keep stirring! Gradually the sugar will become more moist. Eventually the sugar will have the consistency of damp sand. You want the sugar to clump together if you squeeze it in your hand, but avoid adding additional liquid and making it too wet—that will just increase the drying time.

3. Once your sugar mixture is ready, start filling your egg mold. Scoop the sugar into the hollows of the mold and pat firmly down, packing it in. You want the egg to be smooth, so press down on the sugar to prevent any small gaps or cracks from forming. If you have excess sugar and want to make more eggs, keep it in a bowl and place a damp paper towel directly over the sugar to prevent it from drying out. If you are using an egg base mold, fill it at this time.

4. Use a bench scraper, metal spatula, or the top of a large knife to carefully scrape across the top of the mold, removing any excess sugar. Your eggs should have a smooth, even top that is the same level as the mold when you are finished. Do the same for your egg base, if you are using one.

5. Place a stiff piece of cardboard directly on the top of the mold. Bracing one hand on the cardboard and the other underneath the mold, quickly flip it upside-down so that the egg halves are now resting on the cardboard. Quickly remove the mold—you now have two beautiful sugar egg halves. Do the same with another piece of cardboard and your egg base, if you are using one.

6. At this point, the egg halves need to dry out a little before you can use them. You can let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, or you can put them in a very low oven. I recommend setting your oven to 200 degrees and leaving them in for about 25 minutes.

7. Once the eggs have started to set, they need to be hollowed out. It is important to do this when the outside is set enough to hold up, but the insides are still soft. Once the egg has fully set, it cannot be reshaped! Pick up the egg half without the flat panoramic panel. Hold it in the palm of one hand and use a spoon to scrape out the moist sugar. If you are saving your sugar to make another egg, you can add this sugar to the bowl and re-use it later. Continue to scrape the interior of the egg until you have a sugar shell that is about 1/2-inch thick. You want it to be as thin as possible, while still being sturdy enough to hold together.

8. Scrape out the interior of the other egg half. Assuming you have a panoramic egg mold, you will have a flat panel on the front that should be removed entirely. Use a small, sharp knife and carefully poke a hole through the front. Be careful not to apply too much pressure and cause the egg to collapse or crack. Continue to gently whittle away to front of the egg until you have removed all of the sugar from the flat portion. You will be left with one egg half that is completely round, and one egg half that has a “window” cut into the side. Note that if you do not have a panoramic egg mold you can still create this effect by free handily carving a window into one of your halves—I recommend drawing a circle onto the egg to guide your knife.

9. At this point the eggs need to dry out further before they can be completed. You can leave them for another 2-3 hours at room temperature, or place them back in the 200 degree oven for about 45 minutes. Place them on their backs this time to let the inside portion dry.

10. Once dry, fill your sugar eggs however you choose. :)


Have a wonderful day! Love ya!

Tomorrow we will detail some of the exciting Black Women's Expo events. The expo is quickly approaching (check the ticker). Have you purchased your ticket???